Always the Opposites {Brollins}

[ Chapter 27 ]

The brisk morning air was enough to wake Colby up with some shock for the second time that day. Riley was kind enough to wake him up first thing in the morning, abruptly with some yelling and cheering, nearly giving him a heart attack.

Neither Rebecca nor Colby had fulfilled Riley's wish the day prior, and it was safe to say both Riley and Colby were massively disappointed. Although he couldn't blame Rebecca, seeing as his mom and daughter were eagerly watching. If they weren't there, however, he swore to himself she would've.

After telling the little girl that he and Rebecca would be open to checking out a studio, she reached a whole new level of excitement. Rebecca had already been a major factor in Colby even considering this decision, and the fact that she was coming to visit with them just amped up Riley even more.

Rebecca told the duo she'd meet them at the studio after an early shift at the library, and when the time came, they saw her waiting for them at the door.

"Hey, munchkin." Rebecca swooped the girl up in a big hug.

"Hey, Becca!" She squeezed her back, just radiating pure excitement. "Okay, let's go!"

"Okay." Rebecca laughed as they all walked in, and she set the little girl down.

Rebecca gave Colby a reassuring squeeze before the lady at the front desk looked up from her computer. "Hey guys, what can I do for you?"

"Hello, I'm Rebecca, and this is Colby." Rebecca spoke up, sensing Colby's reluctance. "We were just wondering if this little one can have a tour."

"Of course!" The woman smiled, grabbing some papers. "I can tell you everything you need to know while you look around."

"So, is this your little girl?" She shook Rebecca's hand warmly before moving onto Colby and letting her gaze linger on him a little longer.

"Actually, no." Rebecca smiled, "Riley is his."

The lady bent down to Riley's height. "Hi, Riley. I'm Nicole, nice to meet you."

"Hello." The little girl responded quietly, shuffling closer to Rebecca's leg.

"You can look around and go see the different classrooms if you'd like." Nicole smiled, and Riley's eyes widened. "There are lots of kids getting ready for a class that starts in five minutes. We'd be happy to include you."

Rebecca nudged her forward gently, letting Danielle walk in front of her and Colby, as they all walked to the back. Colby grabbed Rebecca's hand and intertwined his fingers with hers quickly, as he stroked the side of her hand with his thumb.

"It'll be fine." She smiled, watching Nicole show Riley around a classroom filled with children.

They both stood by the glass window, seeing some more children go in and beginning a class. Nicole let Riley join in as she watched from the side, and when Riley looked over at the two, almost asking for permission with her eyes, Rebecca gave her a thumbs up.

"Is this her first class?" An older woman smiled, moving beside Colby and looked inside.

"Well, we're just testing the waters right now." He responded, turning towards the woman with Rebecca moving right next to him.

"It took a lot of convincing to get this big guy to let his little girl swim on her own." Rebecca smiled, looking up at Colby.

Colby shrugged, "Well, I definitely wouldn't have done it without her."

"How long?" The woman smiled, looking between the two. Causing them to look at each other in hidden confusion before the woman continued. "Oh, I'm sorry, I should probably elaborate."

She let out a laugh, "Don't mind me, my brain is getting too old. How long have you two been together?"

"Oh." The two immediately got flustered as Rebecca looked at their intertwined hands and moved hers to rub her arm. While Colby moved his at the same time to rub the back of his neck. "We're actually not-"

"Well, we aren't really-" Rebecca began stumbling over her words, "We don't really..."

"Ah, I see." The lady smiled knowingly, "Well, I'm Laura. Hope to be seeing you, folks, around!"

She left the two in silence as Rebecca stared at the floor with wide eyes and red cheeks. Riley banged on the glass in front of her, and both of their heads shot over to the little girl.

"Hi!" The little girl's voice was very muffled, and Rebecca assumed the glass was noise cancelling.

She came through the door and ran to them. "I love it."

Rebecca looked over at Colby, and Riley gave him a pouted look, causing him to sigh. "Fine."

Riley cheered, jumping up and down, and they immediately went to the front desk to sign her up.

"Okay, you are good to go." Nicole handed him some paperwork to keep handy with a list of what Riley would need to bring to every class and rules she'd have to follow. "And our first recital is in a few months!"

"Great, thank you." Colby smiled and grabbed the little girl's hand.

"I hope to see you around more often." Nicole smiled, and Rebecca couldn't help but notice the direct and isolated eye contact she gave Colby while speaking.

They left the studio and wandered around for the simple pleasure of being outside. "That was fun!"

"Good, I'm glad." Colby laughed at his daughter, who was skipping over sidewalk cracks gingerly.

"I'm hungry." She replied out of the blue before pausing her movement to look up at the two.

"Good." He nodded and picked her up, so she wasn't in the way of any other walkers. "Maybe by the time we get home, you'll actually be tired too."

Rebecca chuckled and shook her head before Colby hemmed and hawed. "Okay, how about we go somewhere to eat?"